ViewRay, GenesisCare and the University of Oxford Announce Groundbreaking Compassionate Access Programme Now Open to UK Patients with Localized Pancreatic Cancer
CLEVELAND, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --– ViewRay, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRAY) announced today that the GenesisCare Foundation's Compassionate Access Programme is now accepting patients for treatment on the MRIdian® MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy System. The program, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, is available to eligible National Health Service (NHS) patients with localized pancreatic cancer and is designed to improve access to precision radiotherapy in the United Kingdom, where patients have variable access to this innovative treatment. This is particularly relevant for patients as the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the availability and safety of surgery and chemotherapy.
Eligible NHS patients who have medically inoperable, borderline operable, locally advanced and locally recurrent pancreatic cancer will be treated at GenesisCare's center in Oxford using stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) on the U.K.'s first MRIdian machine free of charge. In addition, UK charity, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is providing support for the cost of travel or accommodations associated with treatment.
Unlike conventional radiation therapy systems, MRIdian combines an MRI scanner with the radiation therapy system. This feature, together with other technical innovations, offers advantages for the delivery of safe and effective radiotherapy. These include the ability to see the tumor and surrounding tissue before and during treatment, allowing to adapt the therapy in response to changes in patient anatomy and tumor size between treatments, and to continuously track the tumor in real-time during treatment and pause the radiation if the tumor moves out of position. As a result, the system can deliver very high ablative radiation doses to the tumor while protecting the surrounding healthy tissue from damage.
Patients will be cared for on MRIdian using SABR techniques, also known as MRIdian SMART therapy, which deliver a high dose of radiation just to the tumor. The course of treatment is typically five daily sessions.
"MRIdian is at the cutting-edge of what is possible in radiotherapy technology. The ability to visualize the tumor more accurately, to follow it while it's being treated and to adapt the plan every day means we can deliver the best possible outcomes," said Dr. James Good, Clinical Oncologist and Clinical Director of SABR at GenesisCare. "Patients with localized pancreatic cancer have variable access to precision radiotherapy, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients have been further disadvantaged by the reduced availability and safety of surgery and chemotherapy. The Compassionate Access Programme has two significant purposes. Firstly, to provide patients who otherwise would have limited, or sadly, no options with a viable treatment option. Secondly, to help demonstrate the effectiveness of this treatment, with the ambition to make it available for all patients in the future."
"We are thrilled to support this ground-breaking program, working with GenesisCare and the University of Oxford," said Dr. Martin Fuss, Chief Medical Officer at ViewRay. "Facilitating pancreatic cancer patient access to the MRIdian SMART therapy provides a safe and effective treatment for this deadly disease and the hope for longer survival for patients in the U.K."
The program is made possible through charitable funding from the GenesisCare Foundation, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and ViewRay, the manufacturer of the MRIdian system. The initiative is also supported by a team of expert clinicians and the University of Oxford, who share a commitment to expanding the role of MRI-guided radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer through clinical trials.
More information about the program, eligibility criteria and paperwork to refer patients can be found at genesiscare.com/uk/cap.
Currently 38 MRIdian systems are installed at hospitals around the world, where they have treated nearly 10,000 patients with a wide variety of solid tumors. MRIdian is also the focus of numerous ongoing research efforts and has been the subject of hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, scientific meeting abstracts and presentations. For a list of treatment centers, please visit: https://viewray.com/mridian-locator.
About ViewRay
ViewRay, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRAY), designs, manufactures and markets the MRIdian® radiation therapy system. MRIdian is built upon a proprietary high-definition MR imaging system designed from the ground up to address the unique challenges and clinical workflow for advanced radiation oncology. Unlike MR systems used in diagnostic radiology, MRIdian's high-definition MR was purpose built to address specific challenges, including beam distortion, skin toxicity, and other concerns that potentially may arise when high magnetic fields interact with radiation beams. ViewRay and MRIdian are registered trademarks of ViewRay, Inc.
About Compassionate Access Programme
The Compassionate Access Programme is mutually beneficial for patients and providers of cancer care. It will provide first class care to patients, whilst generating patient outcome data that will help embed this technology into U.K. oncology practice. Whilst SABR is available for different cancers, it is not currently available on the NHS for pancreatic cancer. This program will generate clinical data focused on toxicity, outcomes, and quality of life.
About GenesisCare Foundation
The GenesisCare Foundation is an independent health promotion charity born from the philanthropic vision of GenesisCare. Its mission is to seek out and support life-changing improvements in cancer and cardiac care, in order to create profound impact at scale for both individuals and communities. It does so by investing in research that has the power to radically improve patient outcomes and by enabling access to innovative care. Chaired by Dan Collins, Founder and CEO of GenesisCare, the Board which governs the Foundation is comprised of experts in their fields who share a passion for philanthropy. Learn more at genesiscarefoundation.org
About GenesisCare
Australian-headquartered GenesisCare delivers treatment to people with cancer and heart disease, the two largest disease burdens globally. GenesisCare is committed to leading the change in how care is given and are currently leading or participating in more than 150 clinical trials. We employ more than 5,500 highly trained physicians, healthcare professionals and support staff across Australia, Europe, and now the U.S. This follows our acquisition of major U.S. integrated oncology provider 21st Century Oncology in May 2020.
Every year GenesisCare clinical teams see more than 400,000 people at more than 440 locations. For cancer treatment, that includes more than 300 locations in the U.S., 38 locations in Australia, 14 in the UK and 21 in Spain, with more than 30 new centers under development. We also offer cardiology and sleep services at more than 80 locations across Australia. Our purpose is to design care experiences that get the best possible life outcomes. The GenesisCare team believes that care should be focused on the individual, not the condition, and are proud of our world-class patient satisfaction ratings. For more information visit www.genesiscare.com
About Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is the only national charity dedicated exclusively to funding pancreatic cancer research. With this single-minded focus, its mission is to defeat pancreatic cancer by funding and promoting innovative, world-class research into the disease - research that will lead to the development of more effective detection, diagnosis and treatments and improved survival for patients.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the rate of new orders, upgrades, and installations, ViewRay's anticipated future operating and financial performance, and ViewRay's conference calls to discuss its quarterly results. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the ability to commercialize MRIdian Linac System, demand for ViewRay's products, the ability to convert backlog into revenue, the timing of delivery of ViewRay's products, the timing, length, and severity of the recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, including its impacts across our businesses on demand, operations and our global supply chains, the results and other uncertainties associated with clinical trials, the ability to raise the additional funding needed to continue to pursue ViewRay's business and product development plans, the inherent uncertainties associated with developing new products or technologies, competition in the industry in which ViewRay operates, and overall market conditions. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to ViewRay's business in general, see ViewRay's current and future reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as updated periodically with the company's other filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and ViewRay assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
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